What we’re about
For all those engaged in Agile practices, seeking to deepen their understanding of new ways to show up for work, to coach, train, facilitate and engage in the art of making, Agile Conversations offers opportunities to talk with authors, innovators, activists—and above all, one another. Unlike most Agile meetup groups which focus on uni-directional speaker events, this one offers the opportunity to engage in multi-directional dialog, collectively moving towards a meaningful transformation of our workplaces.
Some of the events here are free, others are not. Please read the full description before joining an event.
— Tobias Mayer, http://tobiasmayer.uk
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- How to become a six-figure Agile solopreneur (lunchtime)Link visible for attendees
How to become a six-figure Agile solopreneur
— a masterclass by an actual six-figure solopreneur- If you missed this last time, here's another chance
- This event is planned for UK lunchtime (11-1 BST)
Let's start with a reality check. Job security doesn’t exist any longer—or so we are led to believe. Looking at the data certainly reinforces this belief: Some of the biggest most valuable and richest companies in the history of the world are laying off tens of thousands of talented people; 300,000 in 2023 alone, with the trend continuing through 2024, and a prediction of over half a million losing their jobs in 2025, again from some of the top tech companies in the world. There are similar trends in retail construction, marketing, HR... the list goes on, and with the looming threat of AI taking more and more of our jobs and the predicted impending recession then this is only going to get worse.
As an Agile coach, facilitator or scrum master you'd have been watching salaries drop and jobs disappearing over the past year or two. Unemployment is now rife in our communities, with little promise of improvement any time soon.
Depressing, isn't it? But perhaps not. While we rely on other people to give us job security we continue to be trapped by decisions outside our control. The secret is to create your own job security, and elegantly escape the trend. Enter Solopreneurship. This odd, hybrid term was coined around 2010, but people have been solo entrepreneurs long before it was fashionable. I am one of them. I have been engaged in my solo teaching, training and coaching business since 2005. I choose my clients, set my own rates, take breaks when I choose, have never employed anyone else so have no overheads—and no headaches! It isn’t always easy, and it involves risk, but the freedom and rewards more than compensate—and honestly, what is life without some risk?
I am partnering with my good friend, mentor and colleague Moe Choice, who discovered the simple joy of solopreneurship in 2020—after two decades of founding and running various startups—and has never looked back. More than that, the joy he feels in his work is a joy he is now spreading. Moe's simple idea is to help you identify what you are skilled at, blend it with what you love to do, then discover and target those who will benefit most from the products and services you offer. In doing so you will create your own independence and your own freedom, your own dream lifestyle, doing what you want when you want from wherever you want to be in the world, working with the people you most want to be with. Job security has never been so exciting, so fulfilling. You may not get a gold watch on retirement, but you also will not get the chains!
In this masterclass Moe will outline his framework for solopreneurship, using storytelling, personal reflection, and case-studies of his clients who use the framework successfully, regularly hitting $15,000 a month in recurring revenue. There will be time for questions during the last half-hour, for those who'd like to learn more, and get into action.
Curious? Please attend this masterclass to receive special discounted offers for our bootcamps, and ongoing, small-cohort program targeting Agile coaches, facilitators, and scrum masters. It's time to take your future into your own hands.
- OutoftheBox StorytellingLink visible for attendees
This is a paid session: £25 (£15 concessions). Register at OutoftheBox.
OutoftheBox is a method of reflective group storytelling that helps us appreciate and understand our thoughts, feelings and responses, deepening our connection with ourselves and with each other.
Using objects to tell a story as a way into creative dialogue, OutoftheBox encourages curiosity and critical thinking; it helps us look at situations in fresh, new ways and imagine better outcomes, a better future. Each story explored becomes a stimulus for creative reflection and contemplative interaction.
"Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand" — Xun Kuang, circa 250 BCE
At this taster/introductory session you will meet the OutoftheBox creator, and discover more about the method. This session is highly recommended for coaches and facilitators, or anyone working with groups seeking better ways to improve their relationships at work, in their community, or within their own personal and family life.
- #TrueScrumMaster 3: Sheepdog or Gardener?Link visible for attendees
Hosted and facilitated by Tobias Mayer, and held on the first Thursday of February, March, May, June, July and September 2025, this series of six ninety-minute conversations will help you understand the radically different nature of Scrum, and the role of the scrum master in keeping transitioning organisations on the true path towards a new way of working—and thinking. Each session has a different theme, which will be revealed a week or so ahead of the session. Watch this space.
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#TrueScrumMaster 3: Sheepdog or Gardener?
The scrum master role/accountability has always been best expressed and understood through metaphor. Starting with Ken Schwaber's sheepdog and evangelist analogies the scrum community has created many metaphors to try to explain the role, e.g. conductor, football coach, jester, janitor, old testament prophet, traffic cop, gardener, and many more. It would be interesting to explore these metaphors over time, and consider how the role of the scrum master has changed since scrum was first described.References
The Liberated Scrum Master
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Recommended reading (or listening) in between sessions:
Scrum Notes
The People's Scrum
LinkedIn PostsPrevious #TrueScrumMaster session notes
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A spirited scrum master is Feste, the court jester in Twelfth Night, speaking truth to power. She is an Old Testament prophet, leading the people back to their true path, and she is Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio, sitting on the shoulder of the organisation, its whispering conscience. Historically, there has been no role in an organisation quite like this one.
— from Scrum Note 41, 2017 - #TrueScrumMaster 4Link visible for attendees
Hosted and facilitated by Tobias Mayer, and held on the first Thursday of February, March, May, June, July and September 2025, this series of six ninety-minute conversations will help you understand the radically different nature of Scrum, and the role of the scrum master in keeping transitioning organisations on the true path towards a new way of working—and thinking. Each session has a different theme, which will be revealed a week or so ahead of the session. Watch this space.
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#TrueScrumMaster 4: (subject to be announced)
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Recommended reading (or listening) in between sessions:
Scrum Notes
The People's Scrum
LinkedIn PostsPrevious #TrueScrumMaster session notes
—
A spirited scrum master is Feste, the court jester in Twelfth Night, speaking truth to power. She is an Old Testament prophet, leading the people back to their true path, and she is Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio, sitting on the shoulder of the organisation, its whispering conscience. Historically, there has been no role in an organisation quite like this one.
— from Scrum Note 41, 2017
